By Jamil Weeks

It was all good just a week ago. Or in this case, a couple decades ago when Roc-A-Fella Records experienced over a decade-long run of being one of the premier labels in hip hop. With their flagship artist/CEO, Jay-Z, laying the foundation and carrying the label on his back, the label would bolster their roster with artists like Memphis Bleek, Beanie Sigel, Freeway, Amil, N.O.R.E., Ol Dirty Bastard, Kanye West, Cam’ron, M.O.P., and others. Referring to themselves as “The Dynasty” akin to a run like the 90’s Chicago Bulls, the label grew into one of the most successful rap labels ever selling millions of records. Jay-Z was the public face of Roc-A-Fella as the biggest selling artist on the label. However, the Roc was co-founded in 1994 by Jay-Z and his partners Dame Dash and Kareem “Biggs” Burke. With Biggs assuming more of a shadow-like, behind-the-scenes presence, Dame took the opposite approach. Dame was the Roc’s version of Puff Daddy, all in the videos dancing. Perception-wise, the Roc portrayed themselves as more than just a business. They were a family. From the mid 90s into the 2000s, the business trio had formed a symbiotic symmetry that many felt would last forever, especially in the case of Jay and Dame. When you saw Jay, Dame was right there by his side. However, with egos and money involved, the bond that many felt would never bend or break turned out to be brittle behind closed doors. Dame and Jay went from being brothers to not being on speaking terms. Today, Dame is viewed as a disgruntled ex-Jay associate, like Dehaven or Choke No Joke, spewing anti-Jay-Z redirect to anyone that will listen. With Dame’s public image sinking to new lows by the day, it seems as if his relevance to one of hip hop’s most successful labels is slowly being erased.

How did things go wrong between Dame and Jay? There are a few events you could point to as the culprits. When Roc-A-Fella and Dip Set formed a partnership in the early 2000s, there were reports that Dame and Jay were not on the same page with certain moves being made, like Dame appointing Cam’ron to label president while Jay was vacationing in Europe. In addition, tensions further flared with Def Jam’s interactions with the label. Def Jam owned a 50% stake in Roc-A-Fella. With Dame suspecting divide and conquer tactics by Def Jam executives, his relationship with Jay began to sour once Def Jam purchased the entire Roc-A-Fella label in 2004. Jay was then named the president of Def Jam, driving a wedge further between the pair. The writing was on the wall once Jay bought out Dame from another business the pair co-founded together, Rocawear. The unthinkable happened when the pair officially parted ways, with the label’s artists being forced to choose a side. Unfortunately for Dame, much of the A-list talent sided with Jay. The bridges Dame had burnt trying to protect his label from outside interference backfired. Dame began to be blackballed in the industry now that he severed ties with Jay. With that came a dwindling impact on business as a mogul.

Like G-Money said to Nino in New Jack City, Jay-Z did not build the Roc by himself. Dame was a big part of that Roc-A-Fella puzzle. Besides co-founding the label and Rocawear as previously mentioned, Dame also is believed to have discovered Jay-Z. Jaz-O, Big Daddy Kane, and DJ Clark Kent were pivotal in Jay’s early years as an up-and-coming rapper, but it was Dame managing Jay’s career that helped lead to deals with Priority Records, and later Def Jam. Dame tried to get Jay signed to a major but all the labels refused to sign him The constant rejection forced them to take matters into their own hands by going independent. Dame was also credited with discovering Kanye West. While Jay did not initially believe in Kanye, Dame had the foresight and vision to see the rapper/producer as a future star. Both transformative artists have helped shape modern day hip hop music and hold a tremendous amount of influence over today’s artists stylistically. Dame was also instrumental in signing Cam’ron to Roc-A-Fella. Dame and Cam were childhood friends and Dame leveraged that bond in finding Cam a home at Roc-A-Fella. Like Jay and Dame, Dame also assumed managerial duties in Cam’s career. The crew that Cam brought with him, The Diplomats, boosted the strength of The Roc with their swagger and vigorous energy. Dip Set became a movement as big as Wu-Tang in the 90s, and were instrumental in shaping the sound of 2000s hip hop. Roc-A-Fella’s presence in the South became more powerful with the Dip Set wave under the guidance of Dame. Without Dame, the music industry would look and sound much different.

In addition to pioneering an era of hip hop that would become a huge part of many of our childhoods, Dame also wore many other hats as an entrepreneur. Dame produced the hip hop classic film, Paid in Full, starring Mekhi Phifer, Wood Harris, and Cam’ron. Also, he formed a media collective; including his own magazine, America Nu, web design firm, VNGRD79, art gallery, and record division, BluRoc Records. As an innovator, he created Dame Dash Studios, a streaming network dedicated to creating television and films catering to urban sensibilities. Another business endeavor of Dame was launching a platform called Creative Control. With this company, Dame flirted with the idea of how music, art, and culture converged. Dame was someone who was about embracing the future. Do not let the momentum lost due to his split from Jay fool you into thinking he did not have a strong business acumen. Dame’s self-made mantra could have redefined the business world.

Sure, Dame brought a lot of his downfall upon himself. Dame’s rough Harlem facade deemed him less approachable than his business counterparts. The lack of proper business etiquette and disrespectful behavior he exhibited in business dealings with other music executives may have led to whispers in Jay’s ears that severing ties with Dame would be beneficial to his career aspirations. Planting the idea in Jay’s head that he did not need Dame was a concept that could be seen as mutually beneficial for Jay and those who did not desire to deal with Dame. However, Dame symbolized seizing control of your own destiny. Being your own boss instead of a just a worker for corporate America is a message the black community needs. In order for black people to break through the financial threshold into wealth, there is no other choice but to deal with mainstream America. Dame’s line of thinking could have inspired young black entrepreneurs to think bigger than just chasing a dollar. Seeing the success of Dame might have influenced future black executives to work together in creating a self-sustaining infrastructure within the black community. Sadly, Dame’s forward-thinking vision is not likely to be realized, at least in our lifetime.

When Dame comes to mind today, we think of his dentures falling out on camera. The anti-Jay tour with his round of interviews the past few years. The brutally honest admissions from him of his financial woes. The state of New York circling around him like vultures on a rotting carcass looking for potential buyers to purchase his stake in Roc-A-Fella to relieve his debt. The once promising hip hop mogul now seems to be a mere shadow of his former self. Even sadder is the irreparable damage to the relationship between Dame and Jay. Two young black entrepreneurs and former friends turned bitter enemies. We all wished one day that the former duo could bury the hatchet and do business with each other again. With Jay omitting Dame from his recent highly publicized Book of Hov exhibit at the Brooklyn Public Library, that reunion is about as likely as Kanye gaining some humility. Jay does not seem to be interested in taking his foot off Dame’s neck with recent efforts to sabotage Dame’s auction of his stake in the Roc. With Jay’s current power and celebrity, he has assumed the role of Nino Brown standing over a cowering G-Money on that rooftop with his gun aimed at G’s head. However, you cannot erase history. Dame and Jay made history together during their time at Roc-A-Fella. History that would define an era. We can admonish some of Dame’s childish antics but let us not forget his genius as a business mind. Let us salute him for his contributions to hip hop. Without Dame there would be no Roc-A-Fella. Never forget that.